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Bah Hum Bug on Give Me A break (Reply to this comment)
by tam501
Just because you dont have a taste for some wines. I have been trying to figure out how to get my hand's on another bottle of Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon. I came by my first bottle from an employee at a Boat Rental outfit where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had spent a week on our lake, they had brought a case of this wine with them. and left what they hadn't drank for the worker's. Kind of a tip. This wine is the best wine i have ever had. No bitter after taste. It is smooth, gives you a sense of well being. Does not taste like a cheap wine. I thought for sure this was an $80 bottle of wine, and now find out it is within reach of my pocket book. Now i know that i can buy this at any Trader Joe's so I am heading that way.
I would recommend this to someone whom does not like wine. JUst try it. I cant say about the Merlot or the Chardenay, which i do plan on trying but that Cabernet is great. Oh by the way i am not or was not a wine drinker before i was given this bottle. Still have the bottle. A keep sake i call it, as it belonged to two of my favorite Movie Star's.
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Aug 26 '08
9:45 am PDT
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Let's bring this argument up to date... (Reply to this comment)
by roncul
I grew up in California's San Joaquin Valley - the veritable bread-basket of the United States - amid some of the largest and most productive grape orchards of any place in the US. Hence, I've been in orchards, tasting wine, and drinking wine for well over 60 years. I've grown my own grapes, and made my own wine in small amounts for decades. I know the tricks, and know the financial factors - and more painfully, I know the wine industry hype.
The truth is, "good" wine is in the eye (or tongue) of the beholder (or rather the taster.) And, it's 'rating' is 'set' by reviews and taste-testing contests between the biggest wineries in the country, held in various 'prestigious' competitions.
But, the real truth is, in the case of most wine-rating contests (competitions) - few are blind contests (source withheld from those who judge it.) Enter wine-politics... if it ain't a big-name source - it gets short-shrift... meaning, no 'judge' would DARE choose a winner from an unknown source. Thankfully, that charade has been largely thrown out of existence lately (in a very few places...) and, lo and behold, little outfits are suddenly winning their rightful due.
The point is, one guy has given the hoity-toity (pretentious) wine judging types a headache. His name is Fred Franzia. Most of his wine grapes come from Ceres, CA - a place I lived not far from for a good part of my life - and I must say, I grew my grapes in Merced, not terribly far from Ceres, and in the exact (with very little question) same kind of earth. The same kind of earth that dominates the San Joaquin Valley.
Next, you can screw up wine-making VERY FAST, if you don't pick the grapes at the right time - if you mess up the wine-pressing - if you screw up any one of a dozen or more 'do nots!' of wine-making.
And last - the biggies of wine-making have been absolutely adamant that the 'best wines' come from the tiny (very tiny, by comparison) Napa Valley. Quite frankly, that is absolute BS (and you know what that abbreviation means) and the very 'prestigious' wine-makers in that tiny valley (less that one-one hundredth the size of the .) And, the avaricious competitors have tried to shut down Bronco Wines (the parent company) because part or all of "Charles Shaw" comes from Ceres, not the Napa Valley. They lost - because they (most) do the exact same thing, on a smaller scale.
Bottom line, I know wine - and I find all of the wines bottled under that label (Charles Shaw) to be top quality, as good or better than another long-time favorite of mine (that also uses some San Joaquin vineyards in its production, but no 'critic' seems to ever get around to mentioning THAT.)
(BTW_ - ever had a glass of 'Le Terra' wine in a fancy restaurant? Yeah, it's damned good wine (although way, way overpriced) and much if it comes from the San Joaquin Valley vineyards too. But, of course, you won't hear much about that... it has not won the imagination and respect - not to mention the praise - of the general public!)
Want some of the best wine you can buy ANYWHERE - at a very reasonable price - get yourself down to Trader Joe's - and buy a case, while they last...
I can guarantee that when the current 'wine-glut' is over, the price will go up... but, the quality will very likely NOT go down.
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Aug 02 '08
2:20 pm PDT
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Subjective/Objective!!! (Reply to this comment)
by ecobshunter
Great! As a wine lover I think this is the best thing to happen to the world of wine. It proves the point that it's fairly much all subjective. There's only one golden rule - if if tastes good to you, it's a good wine. Even though it's not my personal favorite (but there again Chardonnay isn't really my thing), it's a healthy message that the price of the wine isn't the determining factor when choosing. The good news is that you have to keep trying different wines (grape variety & winemakers) to find out what's good for you.
More power to 2 Buck Chuck!
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Jul 18 '07
3:28 pm PDT
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CHARLES SHAW rated TOPS -- This guy says "crummy?" What are the $$$-wine losers? (Reply to this comment)
by rhkelly
"Article Launched: 07/11/2007 01:34:51 AM PDT
"Results of the big wine competitions can be surprising, but this year's California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition produced a bombshell: A 2005 Charles Shaw Chardonnay was named the best chardonnay in California.
"That's right, Two Buck Chuck, the $1.99 brand sold at Trader Joe's, beat about 350 other chardonnays of all price levels to come out on top."
That's right, the BEST in a BLIND taste test among EXPERTS, is "crummy" according to this snob. He's clearly influenced (and biased) by price, i.e., cheap can't be good . . .
See: http://www.mercurynews.com/lifestyle/ci_6346698
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Jul 13 '07
3:05 pm PDT
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Charles Shaw Too Sweet for Me (Reply to this comment)
by vicki007
This wine is OK, but not great. Although on reviewer said it leaned toward the semi-dry range, I found it to be far too sweet and syrupy for my tastes. But, hey, for $2.99 in Chicago....I guess one can't complain.
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May 06 '06
4:49 pm PDT
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Re: Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon (Reply to this comment)
by ilikewine
I agree, I've bought my second case today. I have had 30.00 to 50.00 bottles of wine that I dont like as well as Charles Shaw.
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Dec 26 '05
5:02 pm PST
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I hope people don't go by Your rating! (Reply to this comment)
by martanna
People ARE buying it because it's good! Simple fact. I agree, don't go by the rumours! Try it yourselves! Just because this person doesn't like it doesn't mean you will too! That really goes without saying though!
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Sep 20 '05
2:05 pm PDT
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Good, leaves more for me! (Reply to this comment)
by martanna
Wine is very subjective and one can only give a review as it relates to themselves. Just like a good movie or food, some may like others may not! I LOVE Charles Shaw wine. You should try it yourself and not let anyone influence your decision to at least TRY it. I do the wine tasting thing at least every other month on the central coast of Calif. I've tried a LOT of different varietals and I like some and not others. I don't judge on price as a factor. I like Charles Shaw as an everyday table wine. For the price, its very good. but don't take my word. TRY IT!
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Sep 20 '05
1:51 pm PDT
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Bravo...! (Reply to this comment)
by ASourdough4
It had to happen someday - would some authority please comment on this cheap stuff? Indeed, why are so many of us buying it? Well, it is cheap. The odds of our finding better wine for more money are slim. Here in Nevada, Shaw's Folly sells for $3 and we had never heard the legend. (Something to do with shipping wines across the State Line...?)
I don't know how my Cousin, wine buff Charles Sullivan, views liquids by Shaw but his father, my uncle John, knew the ratings game and used this ploy: Examine the wine list and order the most expensive. And, it was not Merlot by Shaw. Ouch! My uncle used to serve what we thought was fair white wine. When pressed, he confided to us that it came from Pleasanton (this was in 1970 or so). So, on the way back to Ellay, we looked up the secret source of his stuff and bought 2 jugs for a dollar each. We cannot tell beer from wine, but we both recognized terrible bulk stuff when the chance came. We used it to clean our garbage disposal.
Fortunately, the nearest Trader Joe's Market is 45 miles away and we cannot afford to drive that far. But our neighbor gave us two bottles of Shaw Red last Christmas. Mmmm. Not Bad! He got it from a son who lives in Napa and buys Shaw by the dozens of cases...! Go figure.
Sincerely Asourdough4 = Maurice McDonell
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Mar 19 '05
12:30 pm PST
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$3 Buck Chuck (Reply to this comment)
by slsultimate
Where I live we call it Three Buck Chuck (due to shipping costs). We buy it by the case and it has become the 'wine of choice' at parties on the 'what to bring list.' I don't know who wrote the original commentary, but I can tell you my husband and I were at a wine tasting party last Saturday night and nothing came close to 'our Chuck' even at $30.00+ a bottle. He/she doesn't have a clue! While my husband and I do prefer the Cabernet over the Merlot, and the Sauvignon Blanc over the Chardonnay, we've never had a bad bottle of any 'Chuck' wine. Although admittedly, it is certainly not on a par with a Kendall Jackson vintage, it is a smooth, affordable table wine. It truly is a great buy. We have done blind taste tests on informed wine connoisseurs and they thought it was super. I think the person who wrote this article needs a taste bud transplant and must suffer from a severe olfactory impairment. Keep it up Chuck, were all for you in Chicagoland!
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Oct 05 '04
8:33 pm PDT
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Everyone's tastes differ (Reply to this comment)
by sunnyrt
I was listening to NPR the other day as they spoke to a wine expert. He said that anyone could try 10 bottles of $100 wine and like 9 of them. He went on to say anyone could try 10 bottles of wine under $10 and you may like 3 of them.
That being said your tastes and expectations differ with the price. I've tried the chardonnay and didn't like it at all and without saying anything I offered it to my wife. She also didn't like it.
We drink about 3 bottles of wine a week and have wanted to try "2 buck chuck" for a while. She doesn't want to try any more of it. I however am interested in trying out the "3 in 10" theory and am going to try the merlot and cab to see if this experiment is salvagable.
It's always nice to find an inexpensive wine that you don't have to refer as a "table wine" because life is too short to only drink that level of quality. Again that level of quality to every person is going to be different but a truely great wine will equally stand out for all.
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Sep 24 '04
11:32 am PDT
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Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon (Reply to this comment)
by tom2017
Listen this sells for $2.99 where I am and for the price it is worth every penny! Please Please dont but this wine and expect to drink a $20 bottle of wine. My point being I have bought many wines from $7-$15 and this wine will suit you fine it has great color and the tatse I think is very good again remember what your paying, have a party and serve it I'll bet you get no complaints!!! enjoy
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Sep 11 '04
4:01 pm PDT
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two buck shiraz (Reply to this comment)
by purplenosewino
Best dadgum wine ever...at any price...even beats Thunderbird! On a more serious note, I formerly drank dry, full-bodied red wine at room temperature (55 to 65 degrees). But this Two Buck Chuck Shiraz actually tastes surprisingly good chilled (35 to 40 degrees). Here's a great reciipe for all you fruit wine conniseurs out there. One cap (thimble full) of elderberry fruit concentrate to four ounces of Two Buck Chuck Shiraz...volah!!! You have elderberry wine. Okay, so you sacrifice a little bit of the alcohol content...but I'm telling you, it tastes just like elderberry wine!
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Sep 04 '04
6:46 pm PDT
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A $3.00 Bottle of Wine Is What It Is. (Reply to this comment)
by jnappinions
Charles Shaw wines do not pretend to be exceptional. They're not even very good. But, they are good enough to be enjoyed. The Cab seems to be the best of the lot. Some people say life is too short to drink bad wine. Charles Shaw wines are not bad, they're just cheap (inexpensive). What's wrong with that?
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Mar 13 '04
1:28 pm PST
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Charles Shaw Merlot (Reply to this comment)
by snoopsafe
Once in a while mankind gets something very right. In my lifetime some notables have been: The 1964 Ford Mustang, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Doritos Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips, Pace Picante Sauce, and, well, yes Charles Shaw Wine. Warm and fuzzies that tend to fit right at home across America. To some of us; caviar is still just stinky fish eggs and we know that the neighbors decision to buy a Mercedes has nothing to do with calculated reason. Those designer dresses worn at the Oscars look pretty silly and we like our Charles Shaw wine because our senses suppress our ego.
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Mar 09 '04
12:02 am PST
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Charles Shaw Merlot (Reply to this comment)
by snoopsafe
Once in a while mankind gets something very right. In my lifetime some notables have been: The 1964 Ford Mustang, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Doritos Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips, Pace Picante Sauce, and, well, yes Charles Shaw Wine. Warm and fuzzies that tend to fit right at home across America. To some of us; caviar is still just stinky fish eggs and we know that the neighbors decision to buy a Mercedes has nothing to do with calculated reason. Those designer dresses worn at the Oscars look pretty silly and we like our Charles Shaw wine because our senses dominate our ego.
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Mar 09 '04
12:01 am PST
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Charles Shaw is great (Reply to this comment)
by tracilynn
Charles Shaw is great wine!! For $3 you can't beat the value and I think that the taste is better than some $20 bottles that I've had. The first time I had it, I knew nothing about it and actually felt very guilty for drinking it because it was my mother in-laws bottle and she wasn't around to ask if I could have it. I thought it could have been expensive, the cork wasn't plastic. This was after a trip to Napa Valley too where I had paid over $30 for bottles of wine. It completely had me fooled. I think that perhaps if I had known beforehand that it was $3, my opinion probably would have been different and I am sure I would have turned into instant wine snob.
Have I had better wines? Yes but I paid a lot for them. I will no longer pay more than $10 for wine, it just isn't worth it.
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Mar 04 '04
6:43 am PST
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Better than a lot of $5 bottles, but... (Reply to this comment)
by dave22207
most of those are awful. Mostly I found the chardonnay, cabernet and merlot to be lacking in the flavor department. I still buy 3 Buck Chuck because at $3 a bottle, it's cheaper than most marinades. The chardonnay works well on chicken and tuna steaks. The cabernet does great things to steaks as long as you don't actually drink it. Woodbridge by Mondavi, Lindeman and Yellowtail are all a definite step up, but are usually in the $7 range.
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Feb 02 '04
5:48 pm PST
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Charle Shaw Cab (Reply to this comment)
by dabow
One needs to overlook the snob noise about this cab, it is nice. I'm a regular guy wino, I can afford any wine I want to drink. I do drink a variety of reds and am always pleasantly reminded how nice this vintage is when I go to the celler and pull a 3 buck chuck 01 cab out of the box. We all have different tastes, but to me, this one satisfies for most everyday enjoyment and generally 98% of folks won't know it's only 3 beans and they like it. Let's not fool ourselves, this isn't fine wine, it's a nice servable swill - and I like it and thats what's important here. I've paid a bunch more to not be thrilled that much more. I just hope it's available and as good as it is for a long time to come! My opinion of the current vintages of merlot and chard are not so hot for what it's worth. They're drinkable, but certainly not memorable. Jay
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Jan 30 '04
2:21 pm PST
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Definitely worth more than $2 / bottle (Reply to this comment)
by jenalden
What rock have I been hiding under that I'd never heard of the Charles Shaw phenomenon? I don't know, but I hadn't heard of it until this past weekend. I went to a party, mentioned to the host that I thought the wine was really nice, and he laughed and said it was "two buck chuck."
I had heard the term before, but I'd thought it was a generic term, meaning "cheap house wine" or something. I didn't realize there was an actual Chuck, actually selling for $2.
Well, we just came back from Trader Joe's a while ago, and opened our own bottle. This is a really nice wine.
I'm not a connaiseur, but I do drink more than my fair share of red wine and I think this is worth well more than the price tag. I don't plan on cellaring it, just drinking it.
Two thumbs up for Chuck. I'd still buy it for $7.99 a bottle.
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Jan 26 '04
10:22 pm PST
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This may be as good as it gets for $1.99 (Reply to this comment)
by chrism07446
First time 2 Buck Chuck taster. I had the Cab tonight. And, for the money, this wine is surprisingly drinkable*. I wouldn't say I "enjoyed" it, but I certainly wasn't put off by it either. I would add that I've tried wine that tasted more or less like this stuff yet the price was closer to $7 or $8. There's no doubt about it, if you're on a budget, this is an incredible value.
*I should add that due to extremely cold weather in the NE, the bottle was cold to the touch when I got home, and I didn't wait very long for it to come to room temp. Maybe that's the secret to enjoying it, I dunno. I'll try some more later when it's at room. For the record, I've been a wine enthusiast for about 10 years, been to Napa/Sonoma, read some good books and I've tried wines ranging from under $10 to just under $100. I've sought out value wines for years and I've taken the usual paths of Chilean, Australian, etc path in the process. 2 Buck chuck is worth the $2 but I would probably not buy a case.
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Jan 10 '04
9:35 pm PST
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Chardonnay Opinion (Reply to this comment)
by babablacksheep
Hey.... Don't be so hard on this wine. "Three Buck Chuck" is a good quaffing chard. It is not as good as RH Phillips, and it is certainly no KJ, but it is less than half the price. It is slightly better than the best of the jug Chards... Inglenook ... and about the same price. One problem is that occasionally you open a bottle that has turned and you have to pour it down the drain. But that is probably what some people tasted when they ragged on it so badly.
Babablacksheep
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Nov 22 '03
1:18 pm PST
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GOOD LORD! (Reply to this comment)
by 66306630
WHO WAS THE SNOBBY AESS WHO WROTE THIS MISSIVE?
CHARLES SHAW IS AN EXCELLENT WINE VALUE. I FOR ONE WILL BE VOTING FOR SHAW FOR GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNA!
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Sep 25 '03
9:50 pm PDT
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Re: Very good wine at excellent price (Reply to this comment)
by gregmiller
Well, I have tried this. In fact I bought an entire case based on what I thought was good information. I agree whole heartedly with the original review. This is quite possibly the worst wine I have ever tasted. By the way, Stefani and all those other wines you mentioned are just mediocre in my opinion. So the fact that Charles Shaw is so heavily defended is no big surprise. I cannot escape the notion that the wine is artificially flavored. That is the first thought I have when I taste it. I have many friends and all of them, regardless of their wine experience agree 100% that it is awful wine. I cannot even beleive that their is a debate on this. Rotgut comes to mind. I am not a wine snob at all. I own about 150 bottles of cellared wine and don't eat a dinner without it. HOWEVER, my prices range from $6.00 per bottle to around $60.00 per bottle and I can tell you that my $6.00 bottles are excellent and can stand on their own merits. Charles Shaw: no, no, no. GO to a real wine shop and buy premium wines for $6.00 instead.
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Aug 27 '03
10:09 pm PDT
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Very good wine at excellent price (Reply to this comment)
by richard8800
The above reviewers of Charles Shaw wines have got to be involved with or profiting from high-end commercial wineries. Their negative comments of this pleasant, delicious wine must be based on other motivations. Either they fear the reasonable price or they're psychologically conditioned to dislike any wine under $12. Don't listen to them, especially the first two.
I bought the 2001 Charles Shaw cabernet and found it quite good. I consider myself knowlegeable in red wines having enjoyed many over the last 20 years or so. Among my other cabernet favorites are Gallo of Sonoma Barrelli Creek ($24) & Stefani ($24), Copolla Claret ($14), Conn Creek ($20), and Columbia Creast ($12). The Charles Shaw cabernet is almost as good.
My advice - do your own tasting, and don't let the above detractors with their questionable motives and agendas talk you out of having a very good wine that is kind to your wallet. There's really no reason why even a good wine has to sell for $20-50 other than to provide high margins for the winery owners, often large corporations. This is why you won't see this wine reviewed by trade publications like Wine Spectator and Enthusiast.
Richard
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Jun 21 '03
12:06 pm PDT
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Re: Charles Shaw wine 2.99! (Reply to this comment)
by amrkeen
Hello, the reason it is 2.99 instead of 1.99 in Chicago is transportation and distribution costs. Have you heard of those before ??
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Jun 12 '03
11:35 am PDT
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Charles Shaw wine 2.99!?!?! (Reply to this comment)
by jilly_k
For those of you that think Trader Joe's is a great deal - they are marking this wine up over 1 dollar a bottle. This wine sells everywhere else for 1.99 - In Chicago it is 2.99.
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Jun 09 '03
5:00 pm PDT
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Charles Shaw wines -Merlot the best (Reply to this comment)
by straiger38
We stumbled upon the Charles Shaw wine phenomenon
in early February, visiting our kids and new
grandchild in San Francisco. The Merlot is definitely the best of the lot, and that's saying something. Living in the Boston area, we brought back a half dozen bottles of the Merlot. Well, what did we find but the same wine for only a dollar more at $2.99 a bottle at our favorite TJ's
in Cambridge, Ma. We have sent many, many friends to partake of this bargain. And it is a bargain, indeed. The merlot is full bodied, somewhat smoky and quite smooth on the palate. So
I can't agree with some of the other reviewers who eschewed this wine because of its price. If it had been priced at $10-15, then many would be singing its praises. I, for one, have stocked up and will continue to do so. Chin chin!!!
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May 25 '03
5:39 pm PDT
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Your review was right on (Reply to this comment)
by gameplayer2001
I've tried the wine several times, and I've never taken more than a few tastes from the glasses I was served. No thanks -- I'd rather have water, which costs less than $2/bottle.
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May 24 '03
10:25 am PDT
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Charles Shaw. (Reply to this comment)
by bill1215
After purchasing several bottles we find Charles Shaw wines very enjoyable. We purchase many different brands to compare which ones are the best.
We haven't had a bad bottle of Charles Shaw.
By the way, our price range is $7.00 to $15.00.
At $2.99 Indiana , this is a good choice.
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May 22 '03
3:05 pm PDT
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